Another Halloween down and many more to go!!

This weekend was marked by my first Halloween in Nairobi. I had heard rumblings about this great Halloween party that everyone goes to, but had yet to really experience it! The host of the party is an American Architect- I am still uncertain as to how he was led to Kenya, but he certainly hosts a great party. The event was at his house- or I should say estate, out in Karen- made famous for “Out of Africa” and because Karen Blixen lived there. It was a ways, but well worth the taxi fare. His house was wonderfully decorated for Halloween- tons of skeletons, scary décor- all that great stuff- although I didn’t manage to find any candy J He had a DJ, live bongo band, huge bonfire, 3 tents in his yard for drinks, food, and socializing. It was really quite amazing and has certainly upped the caliber of the traditional house party. I believe there were about 100-200 people at the party and everyone was dressed according to the theme “Attack of the killer __________”.

Dana actually won a prize for her costume, serial killer, see costume below. All in all it was another successful party and event in Nairobi and something I will not miss next year!!

The rest of the weekend was great as well! Friday night I went to a movie with a friend which was nice and chill. Saturday was my first softball game for the “Canadian team”. I put that in quotations because there were 2 Canadians on the team, I was the third and am only half-Canadian, and the rest were American. I was the only female on the field- even the opposing team did not have women on the team- guess they don’t follow the rule of 3 women on the field at all times. It was a really good time though, lots of laughs, good people to play with, and we managed to beat the Japanese team. The game was at the International School of Kenya, which has great facilities and a beautiful campus. It was really neat to see the school as I have such great memories of my international school days.

Tia (Killer Prom Queen) & Dana (Serial Killer)

Sunday was supposed to be recovery day from the party, but actually turned out to be quite eventful. I met up with a friend for breakfast- great pancakes here! Then we headed out to a garden centre that she had heard about that had received great reviews from other friends and coworkers. After getting a bit lost, winding up in someone’s personal driveway, and laughing hysterically as we had our heads hanging outside the car windows reading signs, we finally found the garden centre. The garden centre was awesome! Amazingly landscaped - and a huge variety of plants and flowers. I bought a small tree-plant (I am not a gardener)… in fact Les is probably wondering how on earth the plan will survive under my care :)

The weekend was also marked by the moving in of my new flatmate- Dana! In another couple of weeks another Canadian- Lize- will be moving in for one month and then our final flatmate, Emily will arrive on Christmas day! Yeah!!

Una Noche a la Instituto Italiano

There are many ways of finding out about events in Nairobi- you can check out the newspaper, ask around, or my favorite- read the posters outside of the supermarket. So, last night I gathered Tia, Sandra, and Dana to attend the kick-off to the start of Italian week, hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute. (http://www.iicnairobi.org/ ) I had read about this on a poster and noticed the words "Free", "Food", and "Wine"... so I knew that this event could not be missed!

We arrived about 15 minutes late (thank God), as there was an extremely boring lecture on the process of "Slow food"... basically slow food is all about savoring your meal, enjoying the occassion of eating, and cooking food that isn't processed. Once the lecture was over it was a mad scramble to the tables where there was Italian food laid out- mix of meats, pizzas, cheeses, breads, etc. Plus, there was great Italian red wine and the beauty of it all- it was FREE!! After we gorged on the free food and wine we then walked over to a nice outdoor pub for one last drink before calling it an evening. It was a great, spontaneous way to spend an evening in Nairobi.

I was actually thinking of maybe enrolling in an Italian class, since it is so similar to Spanish- so I might do that depending on the timing of the classes, etc. We also managed to snag some brochures for Italian cooking classes which would be great fun!

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This weekend I am playing in my first softball game for the Canadian team. We are playing against the Japanese team- makes me feel like I am playing softball for the Olympics. Should be a good time and am looking forward to meeting some other people around town. After the softball game I am heading to a Halloween party. The theme of the party is "Attack of the Killer_________" and then you have to fill in the blank. I believe I will go as "attack of the killer shark"- so we will see how that turns out. I plan to take my camera to the pre-party at Ben and Tia's house so hopefully will have some pictures posted of the festivities.

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One aspect of my life that I tend to not discuss very much is my work! I realised this after reading through past entries and thought that people must think all I do is socialise and take pictures. Work has been extremely rewarding this week. I am chair of the Web and Media Group for the project I am working on and had to host my first meeting this week. Doesn't sound that bad- until you have to teleconference with members of the group from - London, Milton-Keynes UK, Sudan, and Italy (guy is on vacation). It went very well and the project that I am working on seems to be progressing. Next week members from the BBC will be coming down to Nairobi for meetings with myself and another project manager to discuss the process of development for the web portal we are building for Open Educational Resources (OERs). That will be an exciting week as actual timeframes, development, and design considerations will finally be discussed and confirmed. Here is the website for the project I am working on for those interested: http://www.tessaprogramme.org.uk/ .

3 day weekends are never long enough.

CONGRATULATIONS to Laura, Marty, Isaac, and Natalie who welcomed Daniel Martin on October 19!!! I really miss you guys and wish I could be there to meet Daniel, guess it will have to wait until the summer. Meanwhile I hope Natalie and Isaac are telling Daniel great stories about “Auntie” Amanda.

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Three day weekends never seem to be long enough! This weekend went by extremely fast. The weekend started out with camping at Lake Nakuru National Park. http://www.kws.org/nakuru.html It is located about 3 hours outside of Nairobi and is absolutely breath taking. Beautiful lake, with tons of wildlife, and great scenery. The drive there was not at all nice and in fact was one of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on. But, we made it there safe and sound and really enjoyed our stay. There were 5 of us that went (Dana, myself, Jim, Manon and Kevin).



After buying our tickets to the park we came back to the car and I asked “Why are all the Japanese tourists taking videos and photographs of our car?” Turns out that one of the baboons got into the open window of the car and drank our mango juice. Nice! Who knows maybe the scene will be on You Tube or on “Japan’s Funniest Videos”.

We then spent the day driving around the park, looking at animals and managed to see a wide assortment! Rhinos, zebras, buffalo, antelope, flamingos, and baboons. The baboons are pretty brave, in that the come right up to you and pretty much want to fight you for food. It was at those points that we all piled back into the car and rolled the windows up.

Camping was good- nice and warm which is a change to Canadian camping! At night you could hear that sound of animals- which at times was a bit frightening and at the same time felt exotic. The next morning we learned that there are 27 lions at the park… ummm.. great!

We did some more safaring the next morning and then made it back to the city late afternoon. I actually missed the bustle of the city and missed being at my home. It was nice to return and also nice to feel like I was returning to my home.

Saturday night was a night out on the town. It was a great night!! Lots of dancing and being merry- good times that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday I went around the streets of Nairobi to take pictures for the Indian/Kenyan cookbook that my friend Jeremy is publishing for an author in Canada. I have been asked to take the photographs for the cookbook and am extremely excited about this opportunity. I managed to take a few pictures until the rain hit and then went home to read, nap, and watch movies.

Tomorrow is a holiday (Eid) here- yes another one! I believe I will use that time to take more photographs and explore more of the city and the various markets that are open.

Check out more photos from the trip at: http://amandakenya.shutterfly.com
** Take note, I had to change the web address because of problems with Shutterfly.**

I am a Diva- that's what it says on my bank card

Yesterday was THE day. I left work at lunch and declared to my colleagues "today WILL be the day that I get a bank account". They laughed. When I arrived at the bank I gave the accounts manager the following documentation:

• Photocopy of Passport
• Photocopy of Birth Certificate
• Diplomatic ID
• Alberta Driver's License
• Bank Statement from Canada
• Tenancy Agreement
• Letter from Director at work
• Personal Account Form

I figured I had all my bases covered. And... Yes... I DID!!! I couldn't believe it!!! He said they would call me today with my account number and then within one week I would be receiving my new bank card. So now here comes the interesting part about the bank card. They have a new "women's" card called "the DIVA card". So yes I am now a card carrying/holding diva.

Yesterday made me realize that it is the small triumphs here that can make your day.

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Last night I went out with some friends to see the movie "Lumumba". It was a movie about the former Prime Minister of the Congo, Lumumba. It was quite a good film- held at the Alliance Franchaise- and was free. Like so many political stories in Africa it just reinforces the belief that colonization destroyed many African countries. Their plight to gain independence and overcome a colonized society was extremely difficult- full of violence and destruction.

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This weekend is a long weekend and I am going camping by Lake Nakuru. I am not sure what to expect really- animals? water? fenced in campsites? I am going with 2 other friends and we are camping for one night. Will definetly have some news and pictures to report on Monday morning!

My first publication is out!

Well my first publication has been printed! I am pretty excited about it, as it seemed like a long time in the works.

Attached is the link to the area where you can access the publication: http://celea-aceel.ca/cmp_text/?targetId=16&strCompName=CeLEA%A0Publications&subSection1=Resources

I am page 11... Chapter 3.

Here is the direct link to the publication: http://celea-aceel.ca/cmp_documents/documents/PTL%20Manuscript%20Web1.pdf

Weekend Review: Hike, Furniture Shopping, and the arrival of my air frieght!!

The excitement began with my goods arriving on Friday. As I began to unpack there were some things I wondered “Why did I decide to bring this!?” and then there were others where I was like “Right on Amanda!” That would have been when I discovered I did buy and pack 300 Ikea tea lights- tea lights happen to be very expensive here, so that was thrilling. Sure enough the packers in Calgary took me in for all I was worth as the packing paper was more than enough. Is it really necessary to wrap toothpaste in 5 layers of paper?!? One box which was quite large- small refrigerator - held 5 items! As you can imagine there is an email going out to the company on Monday morning to discuss the paper issue.

Friday night I enjoyed unpacking, putting things away, and setting up my life in Kenya. I also managed to catch up on episodes 1-3 of Grey’s Anatomy as a friend from work downloaded them for me during the week! Hooray!!

Saturday morning Dana, Jim, Manon, Kevin and I hit the trails for an adventure of hiking Mount Logonot which is outside of Nairobi. It was great to get out of the bustling city of Nairobi and to just be outdoors. The great thing about the trip was that on the way, as were driving, I yelled “Watch out for that dog!” Lo and behold it was not a dog on the road, but a pack of BABOONS! It was great!! We slowed down and watched as baboons sat on the side of the road eating the garbage (not the prettiest picture, but not like seeing them at the zoo). When we approached the mountain we had to pay an entrance fee and thankfully I am now considered a resident, thanks to a diplomatic ID, and as a result only have to pay a fraction of what foreigners pay to enter the national parks. We started our climb and out in the distance we saw a giraffe having its breakfast and a pack of zebras! It was totally amazing- the first time I have seen animals like that in their natural habitat.

The one thing about the hike was that it was pretty much uphill the entire way and it was dusty and dry. By the time we reached the top we were all covered in dust head to toe and our boots and clothes were no longer the bright colors we started the hike with. Manon did mention that she didn’t think her clothes in Kenya would make it home as the dust certainly results in a lot of wear and tear on your clothes.

When you reach the top of the mountain you get to a huge crater which is beautiful. Amidst this completely dry landscape is a vast forest in the crater.

All in all the day was a great success and we were all thrilled to get out of town and enjoy the sun and the dust. The evening ended with Dana, Jim and I ordering our first pizza via delivery and watching the movie “Shopgirl”.

Sunday I met up with a friend, Tia, and we went to check out the furniture stores on the side of the road. They can pretty much make anything you want- lots of beautiful wooden furniture as well as iron works. I then headed out to this posh shopping mall called “Village Market” which is close to the US Embassy, UN Compound, and Canadian High Commission- so a huge ex pat community at this shopping centre. I went there to meet with Mitch (friends of Maxine and John’s from Guatemala) and it was great to hear about the US Embassy environment here, what it offers, etc. He is putting me in contact with a Canadian guy who happens to have a softball team in the 4 team league they have here- should be interesting. I am more interested in meeting people and the after softball beer drinking then the actual sport, but will pretend to be pro-softball for the next while.

That was the weekend!! Now it’s Monday and back to the grind of the work week. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Uploaded photos: http://amandainkenya.shutterfly.com

Why is there a fridge in my hallway?

There are some strange things that happen in Kenya. For one- why is there a fridge in my hallway next to my door? It was there last night when I returned home from the gym and grocery shopping and it was still there this morning when I left for work... strange...

Another oddity is that it takes a letter from the President to get a bank account here... well not that bad, but you do have to jump through a number of hoops in order to get your bank account established. So far, here are the steps that I have to go through in order to have a bank account:
1. Bring written letter from the Director of my organization saying that I work here- plus with his signature, along with the signature of the CFO AND the signature of my manager.
2. 2 passport sized photos to include
3. Complete an application form and have someone (Kenyan) witness and agree that I am capable of having a bank account.

I have a feeling that there will be another step in there- which the tellers will tell me about once I think I have gotten everything ready.

Anyway these are things that I think you just have to go along with, not question too much, and just consider it as part of the living experience in Kenya.

I have also managed to become a real gimp here in Nairobi. Because there are no sidewalks, just dirt paths with large rocks I have managed to roll my ankle twice in the course of 3 days. Thankfully people brought ice to the Thanksgiving supper so I am technically using the leftovers to ice my foot :)

Heading out for Indian food tonight, then checking out a bar in town that has an "oldies" night- not sure what type of music they will play for oldies, but should be an adventure that I will be sure to report on!

Thanksgiving re-cap

Who knew that in 2006 I would be hosting a Thanksgiving supper in Kenya!? The event seemed to go over quite well and although the numbers were a bit smaller than I had expected, everyone had a great time. There was a mix of Canadians, Kenyans, and an Australian- total of 9, so hopefully that is still considered a “success”. Unfortunately I was too preoccupied hosting that I forgot to take any pictures, sorry folks!

Yesterday was a holiday in Kenya, called Moi day- basically “President’s Day”. I was expecting everything to be closed but luckily everything was opened for business. I went down to a market in town that sells knockoffs and factory rejects of clothing! It was great- loads of clothes and neat things to see. Unfortunately I walked away with nothing, but it was good to check the scene out and see what they have for another visit.

On the way back home I did manage to buy a DVD that has 10 movies on it for $6. I haggled my way down telling the guy that if he was nice to me I would tell all my mazungo (ex pat) friends. I think that helped in the discount! The quality is a bit sketchy but it was great to relax last night and watch movies, something I haven’t done in awhile!!

I am working on some trip plans. The first being a weekend away to Lake Naiavasha, which is about an hour away. The lake has a small game park nearby as well as trails and a general, low key, lazing around atmosphere. The next trip I am working on will be at the end of November to Lamu. Lamu is a reef off the coast of Kenya that is supposed to be amazing! Great swimming and snorkeling and apparently quite beautiful. The plan is to rent a beach house for 6-8 people and enjoy the sun and beach for the weekend.

Will write more as the week progresses.

Giraffe Centre!

Managed to make it out to the giraffe centre on Saturday- and it was great fun!! Check out the photos on shutterfly at: http://amandainkenya.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AbNnLNm4atmf2

Here is a sneak preview.



Also- I will update more tomorrow or Wed. with weekend updates and the Thanksgiving supper (tonight!)

Week in Review

Well my third week of work has flown by! Things are becoming quite busy on the work front, which is good as it makes the work day go by and certainly makes things feel productive.

The other reason things have been so busy is because I have been out pretty much every night. There are so many things to do in Nairobi. Monday night I went with some friends to the Goethe Institute to listen to a German Jazz Band that was in town. It was really a great concert and half way through I thought, “this is so strange to be sitting in Africa, listening to a German Jazz band”. Tuesday night, Dana and I checked out the Mountain Club of Kenya- unfortunately we picked a bad night to go as everyone had gotten together the weekend before for a big camping trip and festivities. The Mountain Club of Kenya has been in existence since 1932 and they seem to be fairly active on the mountain climbing and hiking scene. We shall see what becomes of that.

Wednesday was a chill night of supper with Sandra and last night was Salsa dancing at this bar called “Pavement”. The salsa was great!! Really fun to watch people go dance and there were some major experts there. Dana finally got me to go up and said “Have you ever done Aerobics?” and I said “Yeah…”- she said “Just do the step forward and step back as you would do in Step Aerobics”- it was amazing! She was right- I managed to keep up with the tempo just pretending it was Aerobics :)

So all in all there are many things to do in the city and of course to do outside of the city. I am looking forward to the 3 day weekend coming up October 20 as I plan to get out of town to do a bit of traveling- possibly to a lake nearby that is located on a smaller game reserve.

There will be lots of pictures to show on Monday morning as I am going to the Giraffe Centre on Saturday- a tourist trap where you get to feed and pet giraffes… should be an adventure!

Sunday is a big shopping day for me as I have about 20 people coming for a potluck Canadian Thanksgiving supper on Monday night (Tuesday is a holiday). Basically the invite list was "I met you... and now you are invited!"

Uploaded photos of House and some Congratulations are in Order!

Well I seem to be on a roll with uploading photos :)

Here are some photos of a night out at a Japanese Rest. as well as of my new apartment - fairly bare! Check out the hot african theme sofas!

http://amandainkenya.shutterfly.com/action/

Also just wanted to note a few Congratulations!

First off to Shannon and Rob on their wedding on Sept 23! Shannon, wish I could have been there- can't wait to see pictures!!

And secondly to Jeff and Les!!! Congrats on your engagement!!!! I am so happy for you both and wish I could be there in person to say congrats! Hopefully the wedding will fall around the time I head back to Canada for a summer holiday :)

Uploaded London pictures

Check out my London pictures on:

http://amandainkenya.shutterfly.com/action/

Back in Nairobi... aka "home"

Well I made it back safe and sound from Kigali and this weekend has been hectic. While I was away it turns out that the Board of the organization and members of the World Bank have cut our funding significantly and on Friday almost half of the support staff were let go. Now, selfishly all I could think was "Oh great! All that work they put into trying to get my shipment here.... is down the drain!" But then I realized to stop being selfish, take one thing at a time, figure out who the heck is taking that part over and move on. It may require some trips to the Foreign Ministry, but everything is an experience... right??

This morning I am supposed to be moving into my apartment. I am still waiting on the kitchen appliances to be put in.... apparently the truck that was bringing my goods broke down yesterday. I am learning that in Africa you really have to deal with one thing at a time or you will go nuts.

Ok so aside from the frustrations that have occurred with the apartment, furnishings, etc... the weekend has been great! Luckily I have been able to stay with Sandra for the weekend. Yesterday we went around town and found some great shops!! Really unique and beautiful art work, etc. Sandra, Dana and I then went to a Japanese restaraunt where.... I then got a phone call from EMILY!!! It was great!! I had to leave the rest. to talk to her because I was apparently yelling into the phone with excitement. That was my first phone call from Canada so I was pretty excited :)

So hopefully things today will go well and I will have the chance to move in!! More to report this weekend with pictures included!